Good idea about the air ducts. I'll do that. I went a step further on my Metro...

You can probably find rep RS taillights on eBay or Amazon. Just be aware that there are no reflectors in them.

Wow, you removed the entire dash!? That's dedication.

I just stuck the Blitz hybrid cabin filter into the Yaris from the FR-S after I washed it and sun charged it. Still about 3/4" to 1" of gap total on the sides, but I figured it's better than not having a filter (and really don't feel like spending another $53 to get the filter specifically for the Yaris.

That was actually a replacement dash. For three model years, GM used a really crappy plastic for the dashboard which crumbled to dust in the sun. It looked disgusting, so I pulled a junkyard dash from after they went to a better plastic. Yes, it was a lot of work. But the ducts got a good cleaning-out, too. And they really needed it, because this was from before cars got cabin air filters.

I had to look up that Blitz hybrid filter you mentioned. Looks pretty cool! I think I'll stick to a regular activated-carbon filter on this one, though. I just knocked the leaves out of the old one for now.

That was actually a replacement dash. For three model years, GM used a really crappy plastic for the dashboard which crumbled to dust in the sun. It looked disgusting, so I pulled a junkyard dash from after they went to a better plastic. Yes, it was a lot of work. But the ducts got a good cleaning-out, too. And they really needed it, because this was from before cars got cabin air filters.

I had to look up that Blitz hybrid filter you mentioned. Looks pretty cool! I think I'll stick to a regular activated-carbon filter on this one, though. I just knocked the leaves out of the old one for now.

The Matrix is still pretty nice. They bought it new in 2006, and it's always been kept in the garage. It has almost all the available features except alloy wheels.

I'm actually the only person in the family that's ever owned anything with a trunk. They love hatches.

Oh hey, I have a picture of my dad's old van. My new van.

It looks like a regular Venture, but it just has one bucket seat in the back, and the floor is rubber. It originally belonged to the government in Georgia. It can hold an unbelievable amount of stuff. They use it to bring the kayak to the river. It fits inside. How many other cars can you fit a small boat inside of?

It was 95° today, but I got the exterior of the car detailed this morning. The replacement key shell also came in the mail.

The original key is in rough shape. Beat up, and all the buttons are missing. They still work if you stick your finger down in there, but I worry about mixing up the unlock and PANIC! buttons.

I looked into it, and saw that the electronics were in their own little case inside the shell, and you could get a new blank shell for $5 on eBay. So that's what I did.

I took it to Ace to get it cut, and they said no way. They won't risk their super carbide key-cutting bit on an unknown blank. So I took it to Home Depot, who didn't mind at all. They had an automated Hillman machine. The Hillman facility where it was built is just one turn past the Home Depot, on the same road. They also build those self-service dog tag engraving kiosks there. I actually had a job interview there last week, but haven't heard back. It was cool to see the key machine in action, since there's a (slim) possibility I'll be working on them in the future.

It worked great, and Home depot didn't even charge me, since I didn't use one of their blanks. That's a cheap new key!

I stopped at my usual warehouse complex on my way home to get pictures. It makes a good backdrop, I think. All bright, clean concrete.

Today, I dropped the pan on the transmission. The magnets didn't look too bad. I've never done this before, but Google showed me lots of pictures of pan magnets looking like sea urchins, so I guess this is pretty good.

I thought the pan had lots of bolts, until I saw the inside of the transmission.

New filter.

I replaced the 3 quarts that come out when you pull the plug with new Toyota WS ATF, which I think they ought to shorten to "World Transmission Fluid." For brevity, you know.